A Love Story Across 120 Countries: The Anti-Influencer Travel Memoir

INDIANAPOLIS, IN – February 05, 2026 – In an age of filtered photos and curated online personas, a new travel memoir from two veteran media personalities aims to strip away the gloss and reveal the profound, often messy, reality of a life spent on the road. Husband-and-wife team Ann Craig-Cinnamon and John Cinnamon today released Travel Is No Vacation: A Love Story, a candid chronicle of their more than 30 years of global exploration and the enduring partnership that has navigated it all.

The book, which alternates between Ann and John’s distinct perspectives, is not a collection of five-star hotel reviews or guides to the most photogenic spots. Instead, it offers an unvarnished look at the triumphs, mishaps, and moments of human connection that have defined their journeys across more than 120 countries, all seven continents, and all 50 U.S. states.

A Partnership Forged on the Road

Long before they were globetrotting authors, Ann and John Cinnamon were established and respected voices in broadcasting. Their collaboration is rooted in decades of shared professional and personal history. Ann Craig-Cinnamon is a landmark figure in Indiana media, inducted into the Indiana Broadcasters Association Hall of Fame in 2019. She broke barriers in the late 1970s as the first woman to hold a major role on a radio morning show in Indianapolis and went on to a celebrated career in both radio and television, including hosting successful morning shows on WZPL-FM and WENS-FM, where she and John co-hosted.

John Cinnamon has also enjoyed a broadcasting career spanning over three decades, working as a popular radio personality and morning show host across Central Indiana. Married since 1995, their on-air chemistry translated into a life partnership defined by a mutual passion for discovery. This shared history forms the backbone of their memoir, illustrating how the resilience, communication, and humor required to co-host a morning show are the same skills needed to navigate a foreign city or a challenging travel situation. Their story is as much about the journey of their relationship as it is about the miles they’ve logged.

The Anti-Influencer's Guide to the World

Travel Is No Vacation positions itself as a deliberate counter-narrative to the polished perfection of social media travel culture. The Cinnamons are not influencers chasing likes; they are seasoned explorers whose work is grounded in curiosity and respect. The book’s title itself is a statement, suggesting that true travel is an active, often challenging, engagement with the world, not a passive period of leisure.

The memoir is filled with stories that embrace this philosophy. It recounts breathtaking adventures like gorilla trekking in Rwanda and hiking in the Himalayas, but it doesn't shy away from the difficult moments that are often edited out of a vacation slideshow. Readers will find themselves alongside the authors as they are interrogated by Russian security, get sick on the slopes of Mount Kilimanjaro, or take a tumble down a Himalayan hill. It is in these moments of discomfort and vulnerability, they argue, that the most valuable lessons are learned.

Their approach is encapsulated in a simple but powerful reminder they offer readers: “People are people.” By sharing stories of connection, conversation, and shared humanity, they make a compelling case that embracing the unpredictable deepens understanding and fosters personal growth in a way that a perfectly planned itinerary never could.

More Than Miles: A Legacy of Storytelling

This memoir is the latest chapter in the Cinnamons' extensive career as multimedia storytellers. Their commitment to immersive, long-form narrative is well-established. The couple previously produced the documentary film Journey on the Trans-Siberian Railway, which was broadcast on PBS stations nationwide. The film chronicled their 5,000-mile, 16-day train trek from Moscow to Beijing, focusing not just on the landscape but on the people they encountered in Siberia and Mongolia.

Furthermore, Ann Craig-Cinnamon is the author of the 2012 memoir Walking Naked in Tehran, which detailed her experiences living in Iran for a year and a half during the 1970s. This earlier work highlights her long-standing ability to craft poignant narratives from deeply personal and culturally complex situations, a theme that continues in the new book.

Together, their body of work—spanning radio, television, film, photography, and print—demonstrates a consistent dedication to going beyond surface-level observations. They have built a reputation for deep cultural engagement, making them authentic and insightful voices in the modern travel landscape.

At its heart, Travel Is No Vacation: A Love Story is a celebration of seeing the world with open eyes and an open heart. By weaving together tales of adventure, adversity, and affection, Ann and John Cinnamon offer more than a travelogue; they provide a moving testament to the power of partnership and a compelling argument that the greatest souvenirs from any journey are the empathy and understanding we bring back home.